Fruits of Chaos
by Hotaru
Summary: Chapter 3 added Tragedy strikes, and manages to bring the former members of the breakfast club together again.
1. 1

Fruits of Chaos

By: Hotaru

Notes: My first attempt at a Breakfast Club fic. x_x 

Metallica's "And Justice for All" blared on his headphones as John Bender tore into a slab of concrete with a jack hammer. Dust rose all around him, and floated about the construction site until he turned the thing off to take a break. "Yo! Bender, coffee's done!" A fellow worker shouted from a small shack that served as a rest area. Bender nodded and pulled off his hard hat and tossed it to the floor. The sun blazed high in the noon sky as he shuffled towards the shed. Shoving the door open, he staggered inside towards the coffee machine.

"Hey man, you okay? You look like shit." Bender's friend Roy said from the couch.

"Yeah, I do. Now I know what it feels like to be you." Bender retorted, in a joking manner and poured the hot black liquid into a styrofoam cup.

"Damn! What's with the reception on this piece of junk!" Someone shouted, smacking the top of the t.v. 

"Maybe the channel's screwed up. Change it." A guy suggested. Bender rolled his neck tiredly and rested against the wall. 

"And tragedy strikes a small town in Illinois. A young student, Brian Johnson, has died. Police responded to the student's home when his mother frantically called 911 when she found the boy laying on the floor. It has not yet been determined whether or not the death was a suicide--"

"Nothing but the news? Change it." The man was about to change the channel when Bender stopped him.

"Wait...leave it." He said, staring at the fuzzy picture on the screen of a boy had known several years ago.

"Drugs were found in the boy's system, and people close to the family saythat he had been having personal problems recently. The family is holding a funeral this Friday at six thirty p.m. at the Harmony Funeral Home in Shermer, Illinois. They are encouraging any friends and school mates of the boy to please attend and may their respects. Tragic story, isn't it Tom?"

Bender stepped back, slightly in shock. "Yo, Bender, you knew this guy?" Roy asked.

"Yeah...shit." He swallowed, his throat tightening up. "I can't believe this..."

"You okay?" Roy continued. Bender shook his head. "You goin' to the funeral?"

"I don't know..." _/I guess he found someone else to get it from.../_

~

In a big artist's loft, Allison Reynolds stared at a large, blank canvas. She was currently thinking about what to paint for an upcoming exhibit. Her phone rang, jarring her from her thoughts. Running her hand through her short hair, she picked up the phone. 

"Hello?" She said, not interested in talking.

"Allison, it's Janet. Brian...he..." It was Janet Johnson, the mother of a friend of her's.

"What? What's wrong?" Allison questioned.

"He overdosed sometime during the night."

"Oh my God...is he in the hospital?"

"No..he's...dead.."

The phone slipped from Allison's hand and her mouth opened in shock. Her friend, the only person from high school that she still talked to, was dead.

"I'm sorry...is there anything I can do?" She asked, picking the phone back up.

"No..the funeral is all scheduled..It's this Friday at six thirty at Harmony. Please try to make it." A resounding click told Allison that Mrs. Johnson had hung up. Numbly, Allison hung up the phone and grabbed a tube of forest green paint and stained the bottom of the canvas. She had her inspiration.

~

At Chicago International Airport, two stewardesses walked off of a plane that had landed roughly an hour before. "Man, I'm _starving_." Claire Standish exclaimed to her friend, and fellow stewardess, Amy Steinberg.

"Airplane food not to your liking?" Amy questioned.

"Not up to my standards."

"But _airport_ food is?"

Claire chuckled and shrugged. "It'll do." The two walked to a restaurant and ordered a small meal. Claire picked up a newspaper that had been sitting on a nearby table.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, looking up from her nails.

"Looking for my horoscope. I wonder if it says anything about that cute guy that was flirting with me." Claire replied, before opening the page she was looking at. "Oh my God."

"What! What does it say?!" Amy asked excitedly.

Shaking her head, Claire read an article about the recent death of a college student. "Claire, _what_?" Amy questioned.

"Someone I knew died last night." 

"Oh...who?"

"Brian Johnson. We went to the same high school."

"A friend of yours?"

"Not quite."

"So why are you so upset, then? You barely knew the guy!" Amy said, waving at her friend.

"The funeral is coming up. I think I should go." Claire said, ignoring the other girl. _/I wonder if _he'll_ be there../_

~

Andrew Clark stood in the gymnasium of his college, staring at the bleachers. They would soon be filled with excited wrestling fans, eager to see him pin his opponents in record time. They didn't care what he thought, whether or not he was happy "rolling around on the floor with other guys" as someone so eloquently put it once. A small smile crept to his face at the memory.

"Andy! Yo, Andrew!"A voice shouted, echoing in the large gym.

"Yeah?" He questioned, turning slightly.

"Some guy's on the phone for you." It was his room mate.

"Who?"

"I don't know but he kept referring to himself as Coach."

"Oh..alright. Tell him I'll be right there." Andy replied, taking one last look around the gym before heading to his room.

When he got there, he hesitantly picked up the phone receiver and held it against his head. "Hello?" He said finally.

"Hey! There's Shermer High's brightest wrestlin' star!" A voice exclaimed.

"Hey coach. What's going on?" Andy greeted, flopping into a chair.

"I heard you're up against Woodrow tomorrow!"

"Yeah." _/What's this guy want?/_

"I ran into your old man yesterday. He's pretty damn excited!"

"I bet. I'm living out his dream, afterall."

"Listen, a kid that used to go to Shermer 'bout the same time as you died recently. You hear about it?" Coach said lowly.

"No. Who was it?" Andrew questioned, leaning forward in his chair.

"The news said that he overdosed or something. Kinda tragic. All the teachers here were saying what a good student he was. Shame, real shame."

Andrew sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose."Is 'at right?" He muttered. _/Can't he just tell me who the dead beat was?/_

"Yeah. I'm tryin' to remember his name...Jones...John..Johnson! Brian Johnson, that's right!"

"What?! Brian Johnson? He..died?" Andrew exclaimed.

"Oh, you knew him eh? He wasn't really your type of friend, you know?"

"I can't believe it. How'd he die?"

"Overdose. Didn't I say that?" Coach repeated.

"Drugs? No...he wasn't into that kinda thing." Andy said, shaking his head.

"The family's having a funeral Friday at six, I think, if you're looking to pay your respects."

"Yeah..thanks. Look, I gotta go."

"But we haven't talked about the match yet!"

"Sorry, coach. Bye." _/Will she.../_

Harmony Funeral Home

Friday

The smell of fresh flowers lingered and floated through the air as the guests filed into the funeral home. Mostly family gathered to pay their respects to the young boy, but a few friends were there as well. 

It wasn't until later on that they started to notice each other. When Allison Reynolds unveiled a huge painting of Brian that she had only finished that morning. "I guess now I will never forget his face." She said with a sad smile. She didn't notice the jock staring at her. The criminal, or princess either. She was still too busy grieving.

Mrs. Johnson went up to the podium and thanked everyone for coming. "I'm sure that Brian is happy up in heaven, knowing that so many people will miss him." She paused. "Everyone is invited to go down to McGailey's tavern for a few drinks in Brian's memory."

Andrew Clark made his way through the thicket of people trying to leave the funeral home, as he tried to get to Allison. He broke through, tripping on a chair and stumbled into a clearing. Allison turned from her painting. "Oh...Andrew..you came." She said, tugging on her hair subconsciously.

"Yeah. I figured it was the least I could do." He replied, wishing he had said something else. "So you and him kept in touch, huh?"

"Yeah. He was going through a lot of problems recently. I didn't see this coming, though."

"Andrew. Hey, Andy." A voice called from the back of the room. The two watched as a bright red head made her way towards them.

"Claire? What are you doing here?"Andrew asked, giving her a short hug.

"I read about it in the paper...it's terrible. Hey..Allison." She replied.

Allison merely waved, and looked away, once again feeling out of place. Her eyes connected with someone else's. Someone she didn't think she'd ever see again. Ignoring the two old friends, she wandered over to greet John Bender.

"Hey stranger." She said with a slight smile.

"Nice painting. You and him go out?" Bender questioned, nodding at the canvas.

"No. Just friends. I didn't think you'd be here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing...considering Claire and Andrew are here too."

Bender raised an eyebrow. "Claire's here?" He questioned. 

"Mm-hm. Up there." Allison pointed to the duo near the casket where Brian's body was encased.

"Well, well, well. We're all together again!" Bender said loudly, raising his arms and starting towards the two. Claire and Andrew's head's shot up. Claire's eyes widened. 

"What's he doing here?" Andy whispered.

"All through high school, and even after our lovely detention, you guys ignored the poor nerd. Now that he's dead, you feel guilty and attend his funeral, pretending like he was your friend." Bender greeted.

"You're no better." Claire retorted.

"Why don't we all get something to drink? We can...talk." Andy suggested, trying to prevent an argument from starting.

"...You buyin'?" Bender questioned.

"Yeah, why not?"

Bender wrapped an arm around Andrew's shoulders. "Alright." He smiled. Claire rolled her eyes, as she and Allison followed the two men out. They got a table at McGailey's tavern, and a round of beers were placed in front of them. 

tbc


	2. 2

Fruits of Chaos 2

By: Hotaru

Notes: Well, I had hoped I'd get more than five reviews, considering my sister gets like...fifteen per chapter. ¬_¬ Anyway....at least people like it, so here ye go:

No one said anything for awhile. 

"I think the thing I'll remember most about Brian is his laugh...and his ability to laugh at himself." Allison remarked, taking a small sip from her large mug of beer.

"I think I'll remember his innocence." Claire said.

"His innocence?" Andy questioned.  


"Yeah. I just keeping seeing him there at detention...just innocent and naive.I don't know. What about you?" She asked, turning to Bender.

"That kid..there was something odd about him. You can't pinpoint it, really. I won't lie and say he's this great guy or whatever. I didn't really know him. We talked a few times, but he seemed cool enough. A nerd, but still cool." Bender replied.

"He wondered...I guess I should actually explain why this happened." Allison said. She _was_ the only one who could explain and clear things up. "After graduation, Brian tried to get into Dartmouth, in New Hampshire. They rejected him. And I kept telling him to try again, that they'd take him. He applied three times and got rejected all three times. I think he started to do drugs shortly after his first rejection. He said he could concentrate more, stay up later, stuff like that. I knew that he smoked pot...but he moved on to the heavy stuff." She began. Bender took a gulp of beer.

"He came to me out of the blue one day and asked for some pot. I gave it to him, and he kept coming back. Pretty soon, he started asking for something else. He mentioned crack, heroin...something to 'keep him going'." He started.

"And you gave it to him?!" Claire exclaimed.

"Hell no!" Bender retorted.

"Bullshit." Andy added over his beer. "Why wouldn't you?"

"That kid actually had a future. I don't care if some dead beat needs some shit, that's fine. But _not _the dweeb."

"Then where'd he get it?"Andrew questioned.

"How the fuck should I know? He asked, I said no way, he asked if I knew where to get some, and I said no. I _did_ know, but I didn't tell him. And I can give two shits if you believe me or not."

"I believe him." Claire said nonchalantly.

"Load off my chest." Bender replied sarcastically. 

"He's telling the truth." Allison said quietly. "Brian told me that...he thought Bender considered him a friend, because he wouldn't give him the drugs." Allison continued, picking up her mug of beer and gulping from it. The other three at the table stared as she finished the pint off. "He finally scored some crack from some guy in Chicago. I told him not to use it, and that he should get rid of it before he did. Brian said he was in control, and that I didn't have to worry about him. I guess he was wrong."

They were silent again and drank their beers, wondering what else they could say to each other. Claire was about to speak when a angry voice behind them shouted. "You have some nerve coming here!" The four turned to see what the commotion was. Brian's mother Janet was pointing angrily at a woman who has just walked into the tavern. "Who's that?" Andrew whispered.

"Brian's girlfriend. She cheated on him." Allison replied quietly.

"I just wanted to--" The girl began, before she was cut off.

"Just wanted to what? Apologize for leading my son to kill himself!? Get out of here, get out!" Janet screamed. A few people tried to calm the woman down, as Brian's girlfriend slowly backed toward the door.

"Wow. I never knew Brian's mother was such a psychopath." Bender commented, finishing off his beer.

"She wasn't like this until after he died. She blames Pam, his girlfriend for driving him over the edge." Allison replied.

"What happened, exactly?" Claire inquired. 

"Well, she and Brian got together after high school. They met actually when Brian went to Dartmouth for his interview. He told her that he'd be going there eventually, and they started dating. I guess she thought the relationship was too long distant or something cause Brian wasn't at the same school as her. He went to surprise her at her dorm one day and found her with someone else." Allison said.

"That's horrible." Claire said, shaking her head.

Allison nodded. "And the part that really pisses me off is that he forgave her, and said that he'd apply again, and if he was accepted, that they could start over. She agreed, and that's when he started with all the drugs. He really loved her."

"So, he never got in?" Bender questioned.

"Nope. He tried.."

"So what about the girl, did she still see that other person behind his back?" Andy questioned.

"I think so. He called me up one night, saying that he messed up, and that he wasn't trying hard enough cause Pam didn't keep her promise. He just kept doing more and more for that skank."

"Poor guy really loved her." Claire said sadly. 

Bender snuck a glance at Pam, who was pressed up against the wall, practically afraid to move. "She's hot. Why are the hot ones always bitches?" He asked, turning to Claire. She wrinkled her brows at him and crossed her arms.

"Did she know about Brian's drug problem?" Claire asked, choosing to ignore Bender.

"I don't know, actually. He never said that he told her about it." Allison replied, grabbing a handful of pretzels.

"Well we should find out." Bender said, sliding the chair back, and standing up.

"John, don't." Claire said. He looked down at her.

"Why not? Afraid for her sake? Don't forget who we're mourning over here." He retorted, before shuffling over to Pam.

"We should go with him...just in case he says something stupid." Andy said, getting up. Allison and Claire followed behind, and Bender ushered Pam outside.

"Who are you people? What do you want?" Pam asked, slightly scared.

"We're old friends of Brian's. Been hearing a lot of shit about you." Bender started.

"L-like what?"

"How you cheated on the poor guy, and made him a drug addict, for one." He offered. From her reaction, she had no idea about Brian's drug problem.

"That's a lie! He wouldn't use drugs!" Pam argued.

"He'd do anything for you." Allison piped in, staring at the floor. 

"But..he was too smart to do drugs. I don't believe any of you." Pam said, turning to leave.

"Hold it." Bender said, clamping his hand on her shoulder. "He died of a drug overdose. He just kept trying to impress you, shooting up more and more just to impress _you_."

Pam pulled away from his hand. "Shut up! I don't know any of you! Just leave me alone!" She shouted.

"You killed our friend. Aren't you even going to apologize?" Claire asked, pursing her lips.

"I don't have anything to apologize for!"

Allison brushed past the group, and shoved Pam against the wall. "That's where you're wrong. It was _you _that made him do drugs. He wanted to impress _you_ by getting into Dartmouth. He felt bad because _you _didn't want a long distance relationship. And despite being rejected _three _times, he still kept trying so he could be with _you _because he stupidly thought you loved him!" 

Andy, Claire and Bender all looked at each other like "Wow". Andrew took hold of Allison's shoulders and pulled her back gently. "It's okay...she gets it now." He said. 

"You....all of you...you're a bunch of freaks!" Pam screamed, before tearing down the street faster than anyone would have imagined. 

"That was fun." Bender said, shoving his hands in his back pockets. 

"So what now?" Claire asked.

"I haven't eaten all day." Allison mumbled, tugging on her hair.

"I haven't eaten much either...you wanna get some dinner or something?" Andy asked her.

Claire snuck a smile at Bender. "Want to try sushi?" She asked him.

"Not really." He replied.

"Too bad." She grabbed his arm, and walked towards her car after saying a quick goodbye to Andy and Allison. 

tbc


	3. 3

Fruits of Chaos 3

By: Hotaru

Notes: Pyun! Thank ye all for egging me on. I'm sorry it's taken awhile to get this one out, but it's here at any rate. I think I will be writing a flashback in Brian's point of view, so we can see things from his perspective.

Claire led John to her sleek, black Lexus and unlocked the doors. "Glad to see your parent's are still loaded." Bender remarked, climbing into the passenger seat. "I'm paying them back for this car, you know. It's just taking awhile." Claire replied, turning the key in the ignition.

"So you're working now?" 

"Yeah, actually."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a stewardess."

Bender snickered. "You hand out peanuts and moist towels for a living. That's rich." He remarked, opening his window a bit.

"That isn't _all _I do. Besides, I get to fly all around the world for free." Claire replied.

"So what, you stay in a foreign country over night or something, before flying back here and dying from jet lag?"

"We don't do out of country trips that often, but if we do, we get to stay a few days to relax. It's nice work." She pulled the car to the side, and put it in park. "We're here."

"Already?"

Claire smiled and climbed out of the car. "This is the best sushi place in town. You're going to love it." She said, running around the car.

"I highly doubt it. I'm wary about canned tuna." Bender replied, eyeing the place as they walked inside. The people at the counter apparantly knew Claire, so they led her to a table in the back. "Come here often?" John questioned, picking up a menu.

"I used to. I've...stopped living so luxuriously since high school." 

"The princess denounced her royalty? I'm shocked."

"Do you always have to be so sarcastic all the time? Have you even had an adult conversation before?"

Bender grinned. "Good to see I can still piss you off without trying. Anyway, it's good that you've changed. It seems like we all did a little growing up."

"Yourself included? You don't seem all that mature to me. What are you doing anyway? Are you working?" Claire asked, placing her menu down on the table.

"Yes."

"Doing what?"

"Construction. I get to destroy shit on a daily basis."

Claire rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. The waitress came by, and Claire ordered "the best" food for John. They were silent now, probably both thinking about high school, and how they never really talked again. "So you still talk to your old friends from Shermer?" Bender asked suddenly.

"..not many. Why?" Claire answered.

"Well, it's just that you were so concerned about what they'd think about all of us. Seems kind of stupid, since you don't even talk to them anymore, right?" Damn, the man had a point.

"I guess not. I was just...stupid back then. I didn't prioritize. You don't have to shove it in my face." Claire said, looking to the side. Bender cursed inwardly. _/I made her feel bad...and now she's making me feel bad./ _He thought.

"Oh but I do." Bender said, despite his heart telling him not to. "You could have had an awesome romance with me...but like you said, you didn't prioritize."

"What, so you're taken now? Am I supposed to be heart broken?" Claire snapped.

Bender raised his eyebrows. "Are you?" He questioned.

"No. I'm happy for you. Where'd you find her, some cheap bar?" Claire retorted.

"Yeah, somethin' like that."

"Figures."

"Actually, we met at a party. She was drunk, and a room was empty."

"That's disgusting."

Their sushi arrived, but neither of them ate any right away. "I'm actually probably going to end it. I really can't stand her anymore." Bender confessed, staring at the raw fish on his plate.

"...why?" Claire asked.

"She's a floozy. I'm a tad bit above floozy."

"That's it? Just her character?"

"She is drunk all the time, and wrecks my place on a daily basis. There isn't any point in stayin' with her if that's all I got to look forward to."

"John Bender...thinking about his future? My God, you _have _grown up!" Claire said, picking up her chopsticks with a grin. "Does this mean that you're a one woman guy, now?"

"Yeah. It ain't as bad as I thought...well, with Tori it us, but, otherwise, it's alright." Bender replied, grabbing a piece of sashimi and shoving it into his mouth.

"How is it?" Claire asked, leaning forward.

"Disgusting. Yo Akira, can you toss this on the grill or something?" Bender shouted to the sheff, holding his plate up.

"His name isn't Akira." Claire whispered.

"It's the only Japanese name I know, so he'll have to deal with it." Claire rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. 

Meanwhile, Andrew and Allison were at a small diner, enjoying a dinner of cheesburgers and fries. "So when'd you cut your hair?" Andrew asked, grabbing his glass of Coke.

"Awhile ago. I was tired of it being in my face all the time." Allison replied, licking the salt from her fingers.

"So...you're an artist...do you like, have shows and stuff?"

"Yeah, exhibitions. People either buy it at a price I set, or sometimes there are auctions. It's fun."

"Neat. I'd like to see some of your other stuff sometimes. That picture you painting of Brian was...haunting."

"Really?" 

Andrew nodded. "Yeah. When I was lookin' at it, I was like...it was kind of like he was really looking at me."

"I creeped you out, again." Allison chuckled.

"You never did before. Do you do portraits or anything?"

"Not actively. When I found out about Brian, I just had a can of green paint laying around, and it was the same color of the shirt he wore at detention."

"Jesus, you still remember that?"

"Of course. I remember what everyone was wearing, what they had for lunch...I'm a very observant person." Allison said, finishing off her burger.

"What did you observe about me?" Andrew questioned, smiling slyly.

"Hm...I could tell you weren't as happy on the inside with your life. You put on a front that everything's great, but on the inside you were hurting"

"Yeah, I'd say that's about right. But...I'm kind of disappointed in myself that I didn't change after that day."

"No one really expected you to."

"That hurts, you know."

"It's supposed to. I knew you were just a dumb jock and I couldn't expect you to be friends with a geek, and a freak, and with Bender, _the _criminal of Shermer." Allison replied honestly. 

"Now...God, I have so many regrets about back then. I wish I could go back and change it all."

"You've grown up since then. I knew you would."

Andrew remained silent, and pushed the french fries around on his plate. "Did ah...Brian ever mention any of us?" He asked a short while later.

"Yeah. We talked about you all the time." Allison replied.

"About what?"

"Well...the fact that you guys continued to ignore us, and pretended like that Saturday never happened. We'd make fun of you and Claire when ever we'd see you, but it was just childish games we'd play."

"I really did want to talk to you. I just wasn't ready to deal with the consequences." Andy admitted.

"You were _that _afraid of your friends?"

"I couldn't lose them, because I had nothing else. Life at home was shit, if I didn't have them around to distract me, what _would _ I have?"

"Me."


End file.
